Best Buy is threatening to sue a Catholic priest over his Beetle that reads "God Squad". Best Buy claims that violates its Geek Squad trademark. (Source: Flickr)

Best Buy accuses Catholic Priest of violating its trademark and Geek Squad look

Father
Luke Strand of the Holy Family
Parish in Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, has a pretty interesting
ride. He drives around town in a black Volkswagen Beetle with a
logo featuring the phrase "God Squad" emblazoned on it.
That logo and the vehicle itself bear a striking similarity to the
mobile service vehicles of Best
Buy's service team, the Geek Squad.

Apparently, Best Buy
isn't pleased with its look being appropriated by this man of the
cloth. Lawyers for the electronics retailer sent Father
Strand a
cease-and-desist letter telling him to ditch the logo or
face consequences.

Father Strand mentioned the
letter at his Sunday Mass.

Speaking to the Fond
du Lac Reporter,
Father Strand defended the logo. He says he uses the logo as a
creative way to spur discussions and bring his faith to the
community.

Best Buy told reporters for the Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel that
while it appreciates Father Strand's sentiments, it cannot stand by
and watch its trademarks be violated.

The legal dispute
revives a long ongoing question of just how much ownership to an icon
a company can claim. Apple, Inc., for example, has been
particularly zealous in legally assailing those who supposedly
violated its trademark. From New
York City to music
festivals, anyone who used the logo of an Apple -- or
particularly a logo of an Apple with a bite out of it -- was hit with
lawsuits or cease-and-desist letters.

Some
argue that companies are taking trademark enforcement to far;
corporate lawyers would obviously disagree.

"We basically took a look at this situation and said, this is bullshit." -- Newegg Chief Legal Officer Lee Cheng's take on patent troll Soverain